Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17: 5-8
God is good. All of the time.
A friend shared that scripture with me. This is right where God has me, where he has been working on my heart. Back in January our neighbor shared with us how God was encouraging her heart about not to not have roots in this life and her circumstances, but to have them in Him.
Her comment struck a chord with me; I too have been on that journey.
He is delivering me from fear of man into Trusting in Him. He is gently leading me in this direction.
I have always been fascinated by trees and their roots; so often in scripture, literature, and movies there is much emphasis put on trees. Out of sheer laziness I haven’t really pursued the meaning behind all of it, but there is something about trees has always captured my heart. I know there has been a truth lurking there, waiting for me.
This past year or so God has been gently taking control away from me. He has been teaching me to let go; to go with the flow as I often I tell my kids. I have laughed (you laugh or you cry; laughing is more fun) when well thought out plans have gone awry. I have joked that we should just do everything spontaneous since none of our plans seem to work out. I remember many occasions when a whole week of plans went splat and NOTHING we had planned turned out. These ended up being fabulous times and just what we needed but not because of any of my input.
And yet, I continue to plan and plot.
There is a Proverb about this; 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.“
His ways are not our ways. His ways are better!
Several things he has or is gently taking away from me; my house, my health, leadership of some groups, my services, some expectations and some fears and so much more.
He is replacing these things with his provision, we have not been in want, faith; I am learning to seek Him, I am learning to receive, to open my hands and my heart to Him and to those of you he has surrounded me with. He is molding my expectations, my heart is becoming softer, and I hope I am becoming gentler. He is giving me His peace that passes all understanding, and I am learning to lean on Him.
My roots are slowly growing and finally in the right source! May they grow deep and strong! May I be like that tree that is not swayed by the wind or the storm, who does not fear when the drought comes.
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